In the past, it has not been uncommon in a nursing home environment to have many patients/residents each having their own personally owned conventional stand alone walker. The term “conventional stand alone walker” is hereby defined to be a walker apparatus for aiding a person walking, which includes at least three upwardly extending support members, which provide support to structures for two hands of a person to grasp while walking; and further having at least three points (either rolling, non-rolling, or a combination of the two) of contacting the ground. The term conventional stand alone walker shall specifically exclude a walker device which has a structure thereon which is specifically adapted to be coupled with a structure for pulling a rolling chair.
At times, such as after surgery or other incident, residents may need to exercise by walking with a conventional stand alone walker. At times, these patients may temporarily require additional assistance. In such cases, many staff members can be needed in assisting users of conventional stand alone walkers. In many instances, two staff members are used simultaneously to aid a single user of a conventional stand alone walker. In such situations where the patient is using such a walker, one staff person is walking next to the patient and another follows with a wheel chair. In the event the patient begins to tire or fall, the person walking with the patient provides immediate support, while the other guides the wheel chair into place so the patient can be seated.
In the past, it has been known to combine a walker and seat. U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,620 is directed to a walker with a seat which permits the person using the walker to take a rest by being seated in an opposite facing seat. Another patent describes a walker with an attached seat which allows the user to take a forward facing seat when desired. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,912.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,438 describes a collapsible rolling apparatus with a seat and a walking support structure.
While these devices do provide significant utility, they do have drawbacks.
The '620 patent requires the walker to turn around to sit down. In some situations turning around may be difficult, especially if the patient is very unstable or needs to sit urgently.
With the '912 patent, the seat is facing the direction of travel but the system, with only wheels contacting the ground, may not provide the same level of exercise as is required of a person using a conventional stand alone walker, nor does it provide the same level of stability as a conventional stand alone walker. This system, with its ability to roll in any direction, could be difficult for some individuals to use as a walker and entering/exiting it may also be difficult for some.
Lastly, the '438 patent is a large structure, also with only wheels touching the ground, and the structure includes two collapsing segments which are not designed to work independently of the other. The '438 patent does not take advantage of the installed base of walkers, and can not provide the same familiarity as the person's own walker.
Consequently, there exists a need for improvements in using conventional stand alone walkers which overcomes some of the problems of these prior designs.